Radio

Groundhog Phil predicts six more weeks of winter

Members of the Groundhog Club Inner Circle look on as co-handler John Griffiths (C) lifts Phil from his burrowThe inner circle gathers around the famous weather prognosticator Punxsutawney PhilPhil's weather predictions draws people in their thousands to town

Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow today and predicted six more weeks of winter, much to the chagrin of those hoping for an early spring.

The famed groundhog exited his subterranean residence at Gobblers Knob in the western Pennsylvania town of Punxsutawney around 7.30am local time on Groundhog Day.

Eager spectators waited to see whether the groundhog - as the legend goes - will see his shadow and predict six more weeks of snow and freezing temperatures.

If he does not, we can expect an early spring.

This year, Phil predicted that winter will stretch on.

The annual event, made even more popular by the 1993 film comedy "Groundhog Day" starring Bill Murray, draws thousands of faithful followers from as far away as Australia and Russia.

Phil's forecast of six more weeks of winter was bittersweet for some in attendance.

"I happen to be a positive person, so I do embrace the here and now and I will enjoy the next six weeks of winter with the best attitude and be happy to be alive and healthy with my goodfriends," said Lori Weber, a real estate broker from Sewickley, Pennsylvania.

Others came out early, braving drizzle and low-light, just to experience the event.

Carrie Juvan of Cleveland, Ohio came with her father. "We are here having a blast because dad put it on his bucket list. I like snow but I am ready for the spring. He asked me about it months ago and I instantly said yes," she said.

Groundhogs have been offering weather predictions in the tiny town since 1887. After the movie was released, record crowds numbering as many as 30,000 have been drawn to the event, according to groundhog.org

With a shadow powerful enough to lift spirits - or dash them - Phil has met with Pennsylvania governors and appeared on US television talk shows and New York City's Times Square JumboTron.

In 1986, he even traveled to Washington to meet with President Ronald Reagan, the website said.

Phil's busy schedule is packed into the months before groundhogs, also called woodchucks, go into hibernation - usually after the first frost, according to National Geographic.com.

Hibernation is less like a deep sleep and more like a coma, with the groundhog's heart rate plunging, blood scarcely flowing, body temperature dropping to a few degrees above freezing and breathing nearly stopped, said groundhog.org.